A BACKPACKING Manchester graduate is recovering in a Thai hospital after losing a leg.

Peter Doyle, who graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in September, had to have the leg amputated above the knee after a motorbike accident and is recuperating in Bangkok.

His parents flew to his bedside and have now spent more than a month with 25-year-old Peter, while a group of friends are trying to raise cash for him when he eventually arrives home.

Peter went to Thailand in October, after getting an English degree and studying for another qualification allowing him teach English as a foreign language, which he was planning to use after moving on to China this month.

Peter, who lived in Stretford for several years before making the trip, had met a group of friends and was travelling round the country on a motorbike. His machine and a car were involved in a crash shortly after the tsunami caused havoc in Thailand.

He was not seriously injured, but developed blood poisoning because it took medical staff several days to transport him to a hospital in Bangkok. He had to have his leg amputated and he needed other operations including skin grafts.

Difficult

His parents, who were on holiday in the Dominican Republic at the time, flew to Thailand as soon as they heard about the accident and have since been staying in a Bangkok hotel near the hospital.

They have told friends his condition has been "up and down", and it is not known when he will be able to return home.

Meanwhile, a group of friends who have been raising money to help him on his return have now collected more than é1,000.

A fund-raising night was held at his old local, the Hopwood Arms in his home town of Middleton, and a charity football match was played on Sunday at Whalley Range High School's Vida Centre, where he used to appear in five-a-side games.

More than 20 teams took part in the event, which raised é560, and ex-Manchester City players including Peter Barnes and Neil Poynton were involved.

Former schoolmate Ian Scullion, who helped organise the event, said: "I've been in touch with the family a few times, but it's difficult for him to talk because of all the operations he's had."